Trump Sent Ice To Help Out Tsa At Airports. It’s Made Little Dent In Wait Times

President Donald Trump has sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports crossed nan state — but their beingness appears to person done small to easiness nan lengthy hold times caused by nan authorities shutdown.

Trump deployed armed ICE officers to complete a twelve awesome transit hubs connected Monday to thief astir 50,000 TSA officers who are moving without salary arsenic Congress remains astatine an impasse connected backing for nan Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TSA and ICE.

However, sending successful ICE agents has not reduced information lines, according to information from affected airports viewed by The Washington Post.

Travelers connected Wednesday waited 4 aliases much hours to clear information astatine Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Other airports, including Philadelphia’s, already had hold times nether 20 minutes, moreover earlier nan agents were sent there.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged that hold times hadn’t been trimmed down “as overmuch arsenic we’d like.” The deployment has besides not surgery nan deadlock complete DHS’s funding, which would reconstruct TSA agents’ pay.

TSA’s acting head, Ha Nguyen McNeill, warned nan agency whitethorn person to unopen down operations astatine immoderate airports if a woody cannot beryllium made soon.

“This is simply a dire situation,” she testified astatine a House proceeding connected Wednesday. “At this point, we person to look astatine each options connected nan table. And that does require america to, astatine immoderate point, make very difficult choices arsenic to which airports we mightiness effort to support unfastened and which ones we mightiness person to unopen down arsenic our callout rates increase.”

Yet Democrats and Republicans person remained astatine a stalemate aft some parties rejected each other's proposals connected Wednesday, dragging DHS’s shutdown into its 40th day.

Democrats rejected Republicans’ connection Tuesday evening, saying that nan connection did not adhd capable enforcement mechanisms for ICE. Their request comes aft national agents killed 2 U.S. citizens successful Minneapolis successful January.

Republicans later turned down their counter-proposal, pinch Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying it was “not moreover adjacent to being real.”

As negotiations stay astatine an impasse, lawmakers stay successful nan aforesaid position they were successful erstwhile nan shutdown began complete a period agone — and travelers will proceed to suffer nan consequences of agelong TSA hold times.

Leavitt, nan White House property secretary, continued to blasted Senate Democrats for not cutting a woody pinch Republicans, saying Wednesday that they were intentionally being “cruel” to distract Americans from subject wins successful nan Middle East.

“We person attempted successful bully religion galore times… to spell to nan Democrats pinch reasonable offers,” Leavitt said. “The cruelty is nan point. They want chaos.”

Trump besides tried to ramp up nan power connected Democrats, suggesting connected Wednesday that he would put National Guard members successful airports.

The president took to his Truth Social level to blasted Democrats “for nan Airport’s mess” and praised ICE agents for assisting successful security.

“Thank you to our awesome ICE Patriots for helping. It makes a large difference. I whitethorn telephone up nan National Guard for much help,” he wrote.

Trump said earlier this week that nan agents being deployed into airports would “help” TSA and “do information for illustration nary 1 has ever seen before.” However, since their deployment, videos shared online person shown officers opinionated astir idly astatine airdrome doors aliases baggage claims.

“I spot them each sitting down looking astatine their phones aliases chit-chatting,” Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Democrat from Michigan, said astatine nan House Homeland Security Committee proceeding connected Wednesday. “It looks for illustration they person nary domiciled to play.”

While Trump tries to unit Democrats into giving up their demands, immoderate Democratic lawmakers opportunity nan president’s determination to nonstop ICE to airports has had small effect connected negotiations to extremity nan shutdown.

Sen. Dick Durbin, of Illinois, called nan move “just different theatrical play by nan president.”

However, TSA’s McNeill said nan agents had been a “helpful” presence, and were taking connected little specialized tasks, including directing lines and helping passengers load bins.

“They’ve been incredibly adjuvant to alleviate nan load connected our workforce, and we’re getting affirmative feedback from our passengers and section activity alike,” McNeill said.